Pro athletes come out in force for ObamaCare

The White House can add another perennial NBA All-Star to its growing list of basketball heavyweights joining the push for ObamaCare enrollees.

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Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant went on the Dan Patrick radio show Wednesday urging people to enroll in coverage before the March 31 deadline. An administration official said the show is nationally syndicated on 275 radio stations and simulcast on a two TV networks.

Bryant joins Miami Heat star LeBron James, who cut an ad that will run nationally throughout the month and his teammate, Shane Battier, who helped Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius roll out a study showing that sports injuries are common among the young.

In addition, an independently launched a website, GamePlan4Me.com, will lead a “social media day of action” on Thursday, with messages from Bryant, New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, and New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz “discussing the importance of young people making healthy and proactive decisions about their future, including signing up for health insurance.”

Other athletes, like Oklahoma City Thunder guard Kevin Durant, have gone on Twitter to promote the “Get Covered” hashtag. Durant has more than 6 million followers.

The administration is also running ads on the NBA website.

On Thursday, President Obama will go on another nationally syndicated sports radio show, ‘The Herd with Colin Cowherd,’ to promote the administration’s healthcare message.

The White House has also turned its focus to college basketball, pouring loads of resources into March Madness-related media appearances.

The addition of big name athletes is evidence that the long-expected ObamaCare public relations blitz has finally kicked into high gear. Earlier in the year, it seemed the stars were staying away from promoting the problem-plagued HealthCare.gov.